Staying
by Zenny01
Summary: Wally and Artemis are good. Great actually. They have been in a relationship for three years. But when Wally reveals his plans to leave the team, Artemis can't bring herself to go with him. She can't leave her friends or her mom. Even though it hurts, she knows she made the right decision. But what happens next? Will she find love again? And what is going on with her family?


**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING. NONE OF THIS BELONGS TO ME.**

**Hey everyone! I just got some inspiration and decided to write it down. This story is not Artemis/Wally. Although it starts with them together. It will probably end up being Dick/Artemis. So, this is the first chapter. Please R&R.**

"You want to what?" Artemis asked staring at her boyfriend. They had been together for three years now. And she thought everything had been going well. They had lived together for around a year now. But this conversation was concerning her.

"Leave. Leave Gotham, Keystone, Happy Harbor. I want a normal life. One without the stress of having to save the world or worry about whether or not one of us will be coming home at night," Wally responded staring longingly at his girlfriend.

"Wow… I… I don't know Wally. What about the team?"

"They'll have new members. We wouldn't have to worry about that babe."

Artemis looked away. She didn't know that she could do that.

"So, we just leave? What about all the people we could help?"

"Don't worry about them," Wally said pleadingly. This was not going how he was hoping it would.

"I can't just stop helping people. That is unbelievably selfish!"

"But we could go to college. Just the two of us. Maybe get a dog, a house. I could even take Vietnamese Lit with you."

"Wally I can't just up and leave! I have a life here. My mom is here. What happens when my dad comes back? I can't move to the other side of the country!" Artemis yelled loudly.

"Arty, I love you. Please come with me," Wally begged.

"You make it sound like you already made your decision. You didn't think to talk to me about it first?"

"I thought you'd say yes!"

Artemis stared at Wally. She loved him. Why was he making things so difficult? Why wouldn't he just stay here with her? As much as she wanted to leave, as good as that fantasy sounded, she had a responsibility. Her heart broke by what she said next.

"I'm not going anywhere Baywatch," She whispered softly. She looked up into his eyes and they were glossy, full of tears. She felt one of her own stream down her face.

"Then I'm sorry Artemis," He said his voice shaking. "I'm breaking up with you."

Even though she knew it was coming, her heart still shattered with those words. She thought that they were going to be together forever. Even if they hadn't liked each other when they first met, those feelings changed.

"I thought I was your Spitfire?" she asked trying to hold back the stream of tears that threatened to cascade down her face. Wally stared into her eyes for a second before leaning in and giving her a deep kiss. His lips the slight barest taste of salt on them, but she kissed him back anyway, running her hands through his hair. When they broke apart, she was devastated. But that feeling wasn't as bad as the gut-wrenching pain that came over her when he responded.

"So did I."

He walked away. From the hero life. From his friends and family that helped shape him into the person he was. He left his home. His whole world. He walked away from Artemis without a second thought because he couldn't live with constantly being in danger. She couldn't have left, but she understood why he did. What broke her heart the most, was that she wasn't enough to make him stay.

The next day she walked into the cave and Wally was there. He was wearing his civvies and had a bag in his hand. When the Zeta tube announced her arrival he looked away. After the rest of the team gathered, he told them he was leaving. An hour later, he was gone. Everyone looked at Artemis with confusion and pity. Asking why she didn't go with him or how she was feeling now that he'd left her. But Artemis put up a wall.

She guarded her emotions. She moved her things out of their old apartment and stayed with her mom. But she didn't let her mother comfort her. She didn't need the looks of sympathy from her friends or the offers to pound him from her mentor. She balked at the offer to take a week or two off. Instead, she trained. And when the walls she had built up around her came tumbling down, and her emotions overwhelmed her, her loved ones reminded her of the reason she stayed. And she came to accept, that she wasn't his Spitfire.

**Author's Note: ****What did you think? Should I continue this fic? I did enjoy writing it and I have a plan for what to do next. Let me know what your general thoughts are. I'd love to hear them. Thanks! Until next time.**


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